Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I had possed this question in the previous thread I had created, but I am posting it again here in hopes of getting some quick feedback.  I have purchased the 28inch model, but could change my mind if I call in the morning before they deliver it.

As far as my Simplicity goes, the dealer had both the 28 and 32 inch pro models.  I really debated between the two, as there was only a $200.00 difference.  I thought the 28" would be the way to go for the best power to width ratio, and the motors are the same as far as I can tell.  Dealers seem think it is only a tweak in the carb, or higher RPM that gives the 32"  the extra hp.  I don't mind the smaller cut, as either is bigger than my old machine, but what got me wondering was the tires.  between the two they are the same height, but the 32" has a significantly wider tire.  Will it drive through the heavy stuff much better, or does the added width of the auger make it equal again? 

I could probably call first thing in the morning and switch to the 32" if it was much better.  I was thinking the 28" should be equal because of the narrower width, it also felt like it had a little more weight up front than 32" which I hoped would help the augers to bite in a little more.  I thought that was odd since it was smaller up front, but the dealer thought so as well as we were looking at them.

I was also wondering if others typically use the wieghts that can be added on, and/or chains on the wheels?  Does anyone feel they make much difference, or recommend to get them or not?  Also, I asked the dealer to fill it with a synthetic oil.  Seems everything is going that way so I figure why not.  They said they would pick up some Ams Oil from the dealer down the road from them.  For future use, does anyone recommend something like Mobile One or Ams oil, others?  Perhaps a particular type of grease as well?  Wish I thought of asking the dealer what grease they use, I could have asked them to switch that as well if needed.  I'm sure it will be good enough to get me started, then I'll hit it with the grease gun anyway.

I like the 28 inch, just thought I would see if someone experienced with these things thought I should really go with 32 inch for some reason while I still have a choice.

I would chose the 28" model.  Spend the $200 difference on as snow cab and possibly front end weights, or chains.  If you are somewhat handy, you can cut and drill your own front weights out of steel bars.  Check out what Simplicity uses for its weights and try to match that.  They have determine the proper weight to balance effectiveness and maneuverability of the snowblower.  If you are adding a snow cab, add that additional weight of the kit to counter balance the weight of the cab.  As far as chains, I think you have to use the snowblower to see if you really need it.  Modern tire threads are pretty effective without resorting to chains.

As you said, the 28" has better hp to width ratio and more front end loading.  This helps in cutting through EOD drifts.  The tire width difference is probably inconsequential, the 32" is equipped with larger tires to compensate for more resistance of the front end and the heavier bucket or chassis.

But probably the best thing to do is to go out to the dealer and handle both models yourself and make the final decision.  

Thanks, that was pretty much what I had been thinkin.  After handling them at the dealers, I'm sticking with the 28 inch.

pgil-

Congats on the new machine.

On the oil-When we bought my son's Simplicity 1060 a few years ago if you bought and used the Simplicity branded oil you got double the warranty on the engine. The oil is synthetic and formulated for snow blowers. What we received  was actually branded Snapper. We were told to save our receipt for the oil to prove we used it. They may still have the same program.

Just a thought,

Marc

The 28" should be more than sufficient.  I have a 28" non-pro Large Frame Simplicity and it's a very stout and effective machine.  Being that it's new and free of snow, you should give it a good once over when you get it home.  I'm sure you've read the lubrication posts.  Suggest you do the same with yours.  One thing you should know about the auger gear drive in the Simplicity is that it uses a different kind of lube.  At least mine does.  It's not a gear oil.  It's actually a liquid grease.  It's called Benalene grease and I'm finding it hard to locate here in Canada.  Here are some other recommended substitutes if Benalene is hard to find:

3. If necessary, add John Deere High Temperature EP Grease 100 gr (3-1/2 oz) maximum when gearbox is empty or an equivalent, such as:

· Benalene No. 372

· Shell Darina 1

· Mobiltem 78

· Texaco Thermatex EP1

 

Thanks, just got back in from taking delivery and giving it a try.  Very impressed, kinda makes my old Ariens 8524 look like a toy, although I have to say it worked well when it worked to.  Right now the temp outside is getting to close to 0 degrees for me to really look at to much.  It came serviced ofcourse, so hopefully it will be good enough till things warm up a bit.  Just cleared the end of the driveway and put it away for now.  Starting to think about the snowcab in the near future.  Is there a special one to work with these channel handle bars?

Just called my dealer, says he has a simplicity snowcab on hand for $190.00 and he thinks it comes with the weight kit to balance the machine back out.  Good way to go?

With the channel framework, you probably don't have much of a choice.  Maybe someone out there knows different.  Considering you just bought the machine, the dealer should cut you some slack on the cab.  See what kind of deal you can get.  Remember that you likely don't have an alternative so you will be at the mercy of the dealer.   

Pete   Can you tell where the dealer is that has the  Simplicity pro still ?

montyss wrote:

A bit late for the OP, but I've been thinking about this as I debated my next (if ever) purchase.

28" vs. 32":  aside from storage issues why not go with the larger one? It's only 4 inches so it may not save you a pass down a long driveway, then again it just might. Wider would save a pass on most driveways, and that is a big point for 50' or longer driveways. (Mine is 110') 32" is a nice width for a single pass on a sidewalk, my 28 is just a little bit too narrow.
Personally, I'd have a 42" if I could store it - the space at the front of my garage between the door is 36" so my 28 is fine and a 32 would be no trouble. 40 or more would stick out, forcing me to move it to the back of the garage, and then face the possibility of having to take out a vehicle to get the blower out to the driveway. That's the deal-killer.

I don't understand the worry about enough HP for a wider one, isn't that why we have gears? There's a certain amount of snow out there, and the wider one will pick up more to feed to the same impeller. If it's too much, you just slow down a little. If you're bogging down the engine at that point you'd want to slow down anyway. I only see this as an issue for the first pass. I think we all go less than full width on subsequent passes if it is so deep the machine is struggling. In my opinion, I think it's a non-issue, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.  Am I?

From my perspective the power to width ratio isn't too meaningful except for the first cut into a new snowfall.  If the snow is deep I rarely take a full cut on subsequent passes in order to keep snow from falling to the cleared side of the front chute. 

The choice between the 2 models is not a decision to sweat over.  They are both BEASTS, and each will handle whatever falls from the sky.

Bill_H wrote:

You do have a point.  I have a 32" and I also do have to slow down when cutting into EOD pile.  Its a speed that balance getting the right amount of snow into the impeller while not too fast that the auger wants to ride over the snow.   When the snow is nice and consistent (soft and no ice patches on driveway), it's great to have a wide bucket.  However, when the pavement is uneven with ice or snow patches, I think the larger bucket tends to wander a bit more.  So for less than ideal snow, I'd prefer the 28" bucket because its more maneuverable and I can correct the wandering better.

I'd love to get a 42" blower, but something of that size, I want the weight of a tractor to keep that bucket in check.  I think that's just too large of a snowblower for a walk behind.  I can't get something that wide pass my car's rear bumper and the garage door.    I don't want to deal with moving a car around to get the snowblower outside. 

My previous two Craftsman snow throwers were both powered by a 10 h.p. Tecumseh L-head.   Machine no. 1 was a 10-32, machine no. 2 was a 10-28.   All I can say about the two is that the 32 inch machine couldn't keep up with the 28".   Even when the 32 was running at it's best (newest) and the 28 was running at it worst (oldest) the 28 would out-work the 32".   From my experience, power is an issue.  Four inches of additional width is a 14% increase.   I don't know what that equates to volumetrically, but I believe that if you're going wider, more power is essential.  Personally, I'd want at least one more h.p. per two inches of extra width.    

borat wrote:

In addition to more horsepower, I think the impeller would have to be sized larger or at least spin at a higher RPM to effectively move the larger volume of snow collected by the larger width augers.  I see a lot of snowblowers where a 32" snowblower has the same impeller diameter as a 28" machine.

I think the Simplicity models and some commercial duty models size their impeller larger for larger width.  Not all manufacturers do this, however. 

Increasing Impeller speed/volume makes sense. 

I have to say after my initial use I really like the 28".  The 32" would have been to big to manuver for me.  I know it doesn't seem like to much difference between the two, but for me it would be.  My previous blower was a 24", so I like the increase, but could not fit the 32" through a couple of tight areas.  Given the choice, I prefer more power in most applications.  The 28" has the best power to width ratio according to the stats on paper.  I would be willing to bet it is actually better than that.  I don't think there is any difference between the motors in the 28 and 32.  I  bet the 28 is putting out the same power, only running at a lower RPM perhaps.  Which may mean that the 28" motor isn't working as hard and may outlive the other.  Ofcourse, if this is the case you could easily bump up the RPM a touch to get the same power as the 32".  One benefit is the 28" will probably also run a bit longer on a tank as well.

pgill wrote:

Glad you're happy and enjoying your new purchase.  I originally wanted a 28" but they didn't have the exact configuration in stock so I just went up on the size.  I really like the HS928 for overall size and balance.

One additional benefit of the 28" is that you will be getting more exercise.  On your 40' x 150' driveway, you'll need to make at least two additional passes and (300 foot more walking distance).  This maybe a benefit or additional work for you.  Not thats a bad thing.  I enjoy snowblowing so there's no hurry to get it done.  I would snowblow my neighbors property too, but I don't want the parents getting mad at me for trying to get their kids off the butt away from the Nintendo and do some yard work.  Heheh.

Since the engine is the same, isn't there someway to modify the engine so that you can select the normal and "boosted" mode on the fly?

If you're talking about the B&S 200000 series 305cc engine.  It's the same power.  I know it's marketed as a 9 to 11 h.p. engine.  They are either all very powerful 9 h.p. engines or 11 h.p. engines.  Mine's rated at 9.5 h.p.  I'd say 9.5 going on 11. 

Go to the B&S site, download their parts diagrams for the lowest rated 305cc engine then get the same for the highest rated 305cc engine.  Compare every part and tell me how many you find that are different. 

borat wrote:

Not sure what series the engine is, have to go outside and look sometime.  It is a B&S intek snow, but I believe it's 342cc 11.5hp.  The 32" pro series is also 342cc B&S rated for 13hp.  I'll have to look at the B&S site sometime for the fun of it.  Seems to have plenty of power anyway!

Being the larger 210000 series it's likely putting out 13 h.p.  Do a cross reference of parts sometime.  I'd be interested to see if the the 342cc  engines have any different parts across the power spectrum.